Summer 2010

Welcome and Happy Holidays

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year - At Rymill Coonawarra we love Christmas. The tree goes up on 1st December, the carols get turned up and we put together a mountain of great gift ideas. If you are in the region please stop by and have a look at the great Christmas packs we have put together. December is also a fantastic time to stock-up your cellar with the new 2006 Sparkling White; a perfect start to any party, and The Bee's Knees Sparkling Red which is rather delicious with bacon and eggs!

Here's how some of the Rymill Coonawarra team are enjoying their Christmas: "I'll be in Robe with Ben's family munching on crayfish and sipping on 06 fizz" said Assistant Winemaker Milly.

While Tom, our Sales Manager reported that he will be "Trying to drink the Australian Wine Industry into two figure growth; this also helps me cope with the mother-in-law. The day starts with Rymill sparkling and ends with Rymill sticky with lots of fun in-between".

Image: Enjoying the sunshine and great wine at the winery

Editor's Note

We are proud to send you the first e-Newsletter edition of the Rymill Review. These are exciting times at Rymill Coonawarra, which are reflected by this new version. Our plan is to deliver straight to your inbox all the latest news, special offers, invitations, and interesting titbits from the Rymill Winery every two months. This means you will always be up-to-date and well stocked! Enjoy the read and your Rymill Coonawarra wine.

Fiona Luestner, Editor.

Image: Fiona Luestner

The Yearling Launch

The wine, laughter and conversation flowed freely when over 100 guests gathered at the Rymill Coonawarra Cellar Door in July for the launch of the new Yearling range. Live music from Ben Hood and Fab contributed to the fun mood of the night, and the winery was transformed into party central with decorations. Guests travelled from as far as Adelaide and Melbourne to join the Rymill Coonawarra crew in marking this exciting new chapter in the history of one of Coonawarra's best known labels. The celebration was a great introduction to The Yearling Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz, the new partners to the Cabernet Sauvignon. All three wines are created from estate-grown fruit and represent fantastic value for Coonawarra classic varieties, they all retail for under $15.

Wine Information:

The 2009 Yearling Sauvignon Blanc, 92 points James Halliday, demonstrates a balance, texture and complexity with a freshness that makes good the promise of the floral, lightly spiced nose. A zesty finish leaves echoes of citrus and tropical fruits, reinforcing the reputation of Sauvignon Blanc as Coonawarra's outstanding white variety.

The 2008 Yearling Shiraz, 91 points James Halliday, is a gallant one-year old, presenting a vibrant nose of ripe berry fruits rounded out by more complex undertones of spice and toffee. The flavours carry through on the palate and are enhanced by a fulfilling mouth feel and soft, round tannins.

The 2008 Yearling Cabernet Sauvignon, a dashing youngster, has the quintessential Cabernet nose of ripe raspberry and black fruit. The palate is finely structured and well integrated with classic Coonawarra dusty tannins matching the dashing fruitiness and spiceness.

All three wines in The Yearling range demonstrate great substance and style and reflect the family's deep commitment to producing world-class wine from the soil of the renowned Coonawarra district.

By James Halliday

Special Sales Offer

The delicious new Yearling range is perfect for the party season and we have a great introductory offer. Purchase one dozen of The Yearling range for $130 plus freight (Regular Cellar Door Price $156) and receive FREE a Rymill Coonawarra reusable 'Roll & Fold' bag. This offer is limited to the first 50 orders received.

Purchase now

Rymill Coonawarra = Family

Rymill Coonawarra is a proud family business and the company is lead by John Rymill - "Coonawarra is part of the fabric of my family's life, representing our home and our livelihood for five generations. While I have only held my new role as manager of Rymill Coonawarra for around a year, the art of grape-growing and of creating great wines has run deep in my family since John Riddoch first planted vines in this region in 1890. My sister Lisa and father Peter are both here at the winery with me every day, while my other sisters, Sam and Fiona who live in NSW, travel across for our board meetings. This means that the family is now directly involved in the daily management of the business and has, more than ever, a deep commitment to maintaining a sustainable and positive direction for Rymill Coonawarra. We look forward to welcoming you to the Rymill Coonawarra Winery in the near future, and in the meantime hope that you will take the opportunity to try our new range of The Yearling wines, which represent a statement of our family's confidence in the Coonawarra region and the future of Australian winemaking as a whole."

John Rymill, Managing Director. AdDip RBM, Marcus Oldham College

Image: John, Lisa and Peter Rymill

A little bit of France right here in Coonawarra

In the form of Sandrine Gimon, Senior Winemaker - "For me, winemaking is all about building a legacy. Small decisions taken in the vineyard, or at vintage time, create a story that is encapsulated in a bottle of wine for years, even decades, to come. Our story at Rymill Coonawarra is one of real teamwork and integration. We have complete control over our wine, from bud-burst to bottling, using entirely estate-grown fruit. This gives real meaning to what we produce, and gives our wine great authenticity and quality. I started my winemaking education in the Champagne region in France, making what is probably the most technically demanding form of wine. This meant a steep learning curve, but it gave me a very solid foundation and taught me lessons that I find still apply a decade later, on the other side of the world. Equally enduring, in Champagne or Coonawarra, is my adherence to the Rymill Coonawarra philosophy of making wines that are delicious with good company and good food!"

Sandrine Gimon. Diplôme National d'Œnologue, Reims

Image: Sandrine Gimon

Who is Reg?

Introducing Reg, our resident meeter and greeter and pin-up dog - "It's hard to maintain my humility after being approached by an international photographer to star in their latest publication. But my innate sense of noblesse oblige compels me, for now, to maintain my post outside the Rymill Coonawarra Cellar Door rather than travelling where fame and fortune beckon. No bright lights, big city for me, my heart is in the country". Reg Rymill. Certificate in Low Stress Stock Handling (Hons)

You can see Reg's glorious visage in the latest edition of Wine Dogs - Australia and on the cover and as Mr. August in the 2010 Wine Dogs calendar.

Image: Reg Rymill, © Craig McGill 2009, Wine Dogs

Introducing The Blends

Partners in good taste - Just recently the new 2005 vintage of mc² was joined by a complex and sophisticated white wine, sbs, an estate-grown Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and we are calling the pair our Coonawarra Blends.

The wines show the influence of winemaker Sandrine Gimon's French heritage.

Redolent of Bordeaux in their richness, roundness and density they also display a good line and leanness making them outstanding partners for food.

Our favourite foods with which to match wines are: steak with mushroom sauce, southern rock lobster and asparagus and lemon risotto.

Above average

Coonawarra is having a brilliant season - We have had a good, late, wet winter that kept frosts at bay in the vineyards, and this was followed by a burst of hot weather in spring that was ideal for flowering. The illustration on the left shows pollination occurring in November, while that on the right shows the resulting, fertilised, nascent berries. This year the fruit set in our Cabernet was well above average.

The Buzz

Our great life style - Coonawarra, as a region, and Rymill Coonawarra kick up a gear socially once vintage is well and truly over. During the past couple of months we have launched The Yearling Range, hosted a special dinner and mc² blending session for a group of Brisbane guests, we've had a ball at the Cabernet Weekend Celebrations and welcomed some new groovy merchandise in cellar door including a range of reusable shopping bags. With the round of Christmas parties in full swing we are currently sipping on some cold Rymill Coonawarra sbs and resting up in-between engagements!

Images: At the Yearling Launch - Mel Hollick and Katie Murray. Sid Kidman, Neil and Kerrie McLean. Andrew McLachlan, Megan Caldersmith and Dru Reschke. The special mc² blending dinner held at cellar door. Josie and Meg ready to go during Cabernet Weekend. Our great new range of bags.

Up and Coming Events

Coonawarra Cup - To be held on Thursday 14th January 2010, the Coonawarra Cup is a fun-filled day at the picturesque Penola Racecourse. This year the Vignerons' Marquee will have a limited number of seats available for the general public. Celebrations begin in the marquee at 9.30am and the day is filled with music, food, entertainment, horses, a Calcutta, an imperial auction and of course Coonawarra Wines. The Rymill team will be there with bells on, so why not join us and the Coonawarra Vignerons for South Australia's best country race meeting?

Visit coonawarra.org for more information

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